There Are Birds Here
In the poem, “There Are Birds Here” by Jamaal May, the reader is given a perspective of Jamaal May’s view of Detroit. He gives his perspective on the overall situation of the people there as well as references a common stereotype of Detroit. While reading the poem, there was a clear theme, it is hard for a community to succeed when it lacks hope. This theme is represented throughout almost every line of May’s poem. He uses many poetic devices to add effect and meaning to his poem. This gives a clearer picture of the theme to the reader.
At the beginning of the poem, May refers to the people of Detroit as birds. He quickly references that this is a metaphor, confirming he is talking about the people. May talks about how people are somewhat
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With this May also comments on many people’s generalization of Detroit being a warzone. May introduces the concluding section of the poem by writing a few lines about how neighborhoods may not be in the best of conditions. May writes, “His neighborhood is as tattered and feathered as anything else” (22-24). In the final lines of May’s poem, he writes about how Detroit might have ruined some people. He refers to the change in people. May writes, “How lovely the ruins, how ruined the lovely” (29-30). In lines twenty-two through twenty-four, May refers to the fact that the environment is in a bad condition. This would be the main reason that the people of Detroit have a lack of hope. With this lack of hope, the people of Detroit won’t be able to bring a positive impact to the world. People need hope to export their positive qualities to the world. In lines twenty-nine through thirty, May mentions the lovely has been ruined. This means hopeful people come to Detroit, but they lose hope during their time in Detroit. Whether this is due to the conditions or just the overall environment of Detroit it is difficult for the community to thrive with this lack of hope. In the concluding lines of the poem, May was able to provide an inside perspective on what life in Detroit is like. May mentions how people are changed in Detroit due to their lack of hope, continuing to follow the
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